China Calls for ‘Absolute Obedience’ from Military

China, wary of growing unrest and facing “multiple security threats”, called for unity in its armed forces on Sunday and absolute obedience to the Communist Party.

The call came at a Central Military Commission meeting presided over by President and commission chairman Hu Jintao just weeks after the Communist-ruled country warned of the risk of separatist groups at home.

It also comes in a year of sensitive anniversaries, including the 20th of the brutal June 4, 1989, crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing and the 50th of the Dalai Lama’s flight into exile after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule of Tibet.